Celebratory dance performance in Weston is Aug. 4

Current and former students of the Young People’s Creative Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of Margaret “Peg” Bisceglie, will present a special celebratory performance at the Weston High School Auditorium on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 3. In the continuation of the dance company tradition, this “Spirit of Community” show is free, family-friendly, and open to the public.

In addition to performances of classic YPCDT repertory pieces, this show will feature performances by professional dancers from around the country who began their dance careers with Mrs. Bisceglie.

Participating dancers and companies include Hannah de Keijzer’s Green Chair Dance Group in Philadelphia, Pa., Heather Bryce Labor’s Bryce Dance Company in Vermont, Kate Taylor of New York, Caitlin Meighan of the Joffrey Ballet, Zena Bibler of New York, Cathy Prins of Fairfield, and musician Jean Sullivan of Massachusetts. Current YPCDT performers include Weston residents Elizabeth Coprio Gary and Elizabeth Rainone, Westport resident Nicole Horrigan, and Caylin and Ana Lo of Stamford.

Mrs. Bisceglie has been named a Weston Citizen of the Year for her ongoing service to the community. The YPCDT’s mission is, in part, “for the student to acquire a graceful self-expression through physical and emotional self-discipline without inhibiting the spontaneity necessary for creative intellectual development.”

“It is our hope to bring together the people, including many in the wider community, who have been touched by Mrs. Bisceglie’s life passion and acknowledge her company and body of work through performance and the sharing of memories,” says Cathy Prins, a 1980 Weston High School graduate who danced with YPCDT in the 1970s.

YPCDT has produced the annual Rite of Spring Festival on the Weston Town Green for more than 25 years, as well as many annual Halloween shows at Weston High School. The company has performed at venues throughout New York and Connecticut, including the Fairfield Discovery Museum, Westport Arts Center, and Levitt Pavilion. YPCDT also danced behind the Iron Curtain in Romania during the Cold War as part of a United Nations program.

This celebration show has been made possible in large part through a grant from WestonArts, as well as the support of the Weston Board of Education, administrators and teachers.